3 Nouns

Common Nouns

Nouns are divided into common nouns and proper nouns.

Common nouns are words for people, animals, places,
or things.
These are words for people. They are common nouns.

artist

Word File
Here are more words for people:
actor lawyer
aunt judge
baby man
baker nurse
cook police officer acrobat
dentist singer
clown
doctor soldier
giant teacher astronaut

you kn
id o
D Another word for astronaut is
w
?

spaceman or spacewoman.


These are words for animals. They are common nouns.

eagle
zebra

deer

crocodile
bird

bear Word File

Here are more words for animals:
cat goose
cow hen
dog horse
dolphin mouse
duck parrot
fish shark
goat whale

These are words for places. They are common nouns.

beach

park

Word File
Here are more words for places:
airport market
cave mountain
library church playground
shop farm restaurant
hill school
Everfresh Co.
hospital seashore
hotel stadium
house supermarket
island temple
mall zoo

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These are words for things. They are common nouns.

basket

bed

drum

cake

blanket Word File

Here are more words for things:
bag kite
box ladder
bread lamp
can picture
chair radio
cot television
cup train
desk truck
door watch
gate egg window
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 Exercise 1
Underline the common nouns in these sentences.
1 There’s a little bird in the garden.
2 Who is your teacher?
3 Don’t eat that rotten apple.
4 Kate has a lovely doll.
5 I like reading stories.
6 My father is a doctor.
7 Every child has a dictionary.
8 Rudy hates bananas.
9 The phone is ringing.
10 Here’s a book for you.
Exercise 2
Here’s a mixed bag of words. Put each word under its
correct heading.

swimmer snail fire engine clown

letters flag river barber
mountain fox hotel parrot
granny taxi gardener camel

People Animals Places Things

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Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are names for particular people, places or

things. They always begin with a capital letter.

Omar

Beethoven

Word File Santa Claus

Here are some more names
of people:
Ali Baba
Florence Nightingale
Derek Jeter
Pauline
Lisa
Johnny Depp
Patrick
Harry Potter
Pinocchio
Robin Hood

you kn
id o Your own name and the names
D
of your friends are proper
w

Kim Lee
?

nouns too.
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The names of countries and their people are also
proper nouns.

American Egyptian Indian Italian Thai

Japanese Korean Malay Filipino Pakistani

Country People Country People

America Americans Korea Koreans
Egypt Egyptians Malaysia Malaysians
India Indians Pakistan Pakistanis
Italy Italians France the French
Japan the Japanese Thailand Thais
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The names of towns, cities, buildings and landmarks
are proper nouns.

Egypt

Hong Kong

the Great Wall of China

the Statue of Liberty

Tokyo Sydney
Bangkok New Delhi
London Denver the Grand Canyon
New York Central Park the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Paris the Eiffel Tower Brooklyn Bridge
Beijing Big Ben Pike’s Peak
15
 The days of the week and months of the year are proper
nouns.

Days
Sunday March March March March
Monday 1 2 3 4
Sunday Monday Tuesda es day
y Wedn
Tuesday
Wednesday
March March Mar
Thursday ch
Friday
5 6 7
Thursday Friday Satu
rda
Saturday y
Months
January
February
March
January
February March April April
May
June
July
May June
July August August
September
October
December
November
e r October November December
Septemb

you kn
id o
D
January is the first month of the year.
w
?

Sunday is the first day of the week.

A table that shows the months, weeks and
days

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 The names of mountains, seas, rivers and lakes are
proper nouns.

Mount Everest

the Thames

Lake Michigan
the Alps the Himalayas
the Dead Sea the Pacific Ocean Niagara Falls
Mount Fuji the Yellow River
you kn
id o
D
w

You often use the before names of oceans,

?

rivers, seas and ranges of mountains.

Mount means mountain.
It is often used in the names of mountains.
For example: Mount Everest
Mount St. Helens
The written short form for Mount is Mt.
For example: Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji

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The names of festivals, some special events and holidays
are proper nouns, too.

Valentine’s Day

Father’s Day

Halloween

Word File
Here are more names of festivals and holidays:
Christmas Mother’s Day New Year’s Day
Memorial Day April Fool’s Day
Labor Day Thanksgiving Day
Independence Day St. Patrick’s Day

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 Exercise 1
Underline the proper nouns in the following
sentences.
1 July is often the hottest month in summer.
2 One day Ali Baba saw the forty thieves hiding in a
cave.
3 Shawn and Ashley are going to the beach for a swim.
4 Mr. Lee is reading a book.
5 “I am your fairy godmother,” said the old woman to
Cinderella.
6 Uncle Mike is a lawyer.
7 Next Tuesday is a public holiday.
8 Many children enjoyed the movie Lion King.
Exercise 2
Look at the words in the box. Which ones are common
nouns and which ones are proper nouns? Put each word
under its correct heading.

Lisa bank President Hotel United Bank

January beach White Sand Beach hotel
doctor month Dr. Wang girl

Common Nouns Proper Nouns

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Exercise 3
Write C for common or P for proper on the blank
before each noun.
1 _______ the White House
2 _______ the green dress
3 _______ the tall building
4 _______ the Empire State Building
5 _______ the Yellow River
6 _______ the muddy river
7 _______ the governor
8 _______ Governor Parker
9 _______ the Oregon Trail
10 _______ the winding trail

Exercise 4
Underline the nouns that should be capitalized. Circle the
nouns that should not be capitalized.
1 Robert louis Stevenson wrote treasure island.
2 The Capital of illinois is Springfield.
3 My Friends and I prefer Glittergums toothpaste.
4 Their Family visited Yellowstone national Park.
5 Juan and maria attend kennedy Middle school.
6 We had a Surprise Party for aunt Helen.
7 Spring and Fall are my favorite Seasons.
8 The Manager scolded his lazy Employees.

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Singular Nouns

Nouns can be singular or plural. When you are talking

about one person, animal, place, or thing, use a singular
noun.

an owl

a ship

a train

a woman

Word File
These are also singular nouns:
an airplane a letter
a bicycle a map
a boy a photograph
a bus a refrigerator
a flower a comb a slide
a girl a swing
a key a van
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 m ar H
am
Gr

elp
4 Use a or an before singular nouns.
Use an before words beginning with vowels
(a, e, i, o,­­ u). For example, say:
an axe an igloo
an egg an orange
an envelope an umbrella
an ice cream an uncle

4 But some words don’t follow this rule. For example,

use a (not an) before these words that begin with u:
a uniform a university

4 Use a before words beginning with the other

letters of the alphabet, called consonants.
For example, say:
a basket a rainbow
a bowl a monster
a car a pillow
a hill a watch
a house a zoo

4 But some words don’t follow this rule. For example,

use an (not a) before these words that begin with h:
an heir
an honor
an hour

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Plural Nouns

When you are talking about two or more people,

animals, places, or things, use plural nouns.
Most nouns are made plural by adding -s at the end.

star bats
bat

stars

mug
Word File
Singular Plural
bird birds
broom brooms
camel camels fan
desk desks
doll dolls mugs
egg eggs
flower flowers
fork forks
game games
lamb lambs cap
nest nests fans
pen pens
photo photos
shirt shirts caps
spoon spoons
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 Some plural nouns end in -es.

glass
bus brush

glasses
brushes
buses

watch Word File

watches Singular Plural
beach beaches
branch branches
box boxes
bush bushes
church churches
dish dishes
dress dresses
foxes
sandwich sandwiches
witch witches
fox

m ar H
am ch
+
Gr

elp

When the last letters of singular sh

nouns are ch, sh, s, ss or x, s es
you usually add -es to form ss
the plural. x

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 Some plural nouns end in -ies.

butterflies

canaries

canary
butterfly

Word File
Singular Plural
baby babies
cherry cherries lilies
diary diaries
lily
dictionary dictionaries
fairy fairies
family families
fly flies candies
lady ladies candy
library libraries
puppy puppies
story stories
strawberry strawberries

am
m ar H
i +
Gr

elp

Nouns like these are made es

plural by changing y to i, and y
adding -es.

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What if there is a vowel before the y?
In that case, add -s to form the plural. y s

key

turkey
keys

turkeys

tray
Word File
Singular Plural
chimney chimneys
cowboy cowboys
day days
trays
donkey donkeys
jersey jerseys
kidney kidneys
monkey monkeys
toy toys
trolley trolleys
valley valleys

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 If a noun ends in -f, you often change f to v, and add -es.

Singular Plural Singular Plural

calf calves loaf loaves v es

f
elf elves shelf shelves
half halves thief thieves
leaf leaves wolf wolves
m ar H
am
f s
Gr

elp

Often nouns that end in -f, just

need -s to form the plural.
Singular Plural Singular Plural
chef chefs handkerchief handkerchiefs
chief chiefs roof roofs
cliff cliffs sheriff sheriffs
For some words that end in -f, the plural can be spelled
in two different ways.
Singular Plural
s
dwarf dwarfs or dwarves
f
hoof hoofs or hooves ves
scarf scarfs or scarves

With some words that end in -fe, you change f to v, and add -s.
Singular Plural f
knife knives
life lives v e s
wife wives
you kn
id o
D
But you only add -s to giraffe to form the
w
?

plural.

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 If a noun ends in -o, you just add -s to form the plural.

a rhino rhinos

Word File
Singular Plural
a hippo hippos
a video videos
a zoo zoos
a kangaroo kangaroos
But with some nouns that end in -o, you add -es to form
the plural.

Word File
Singular Plural
a tomato tomatoes
a flamingo a potato potatoes
flamingoes a hero heroes
m m ar H
a
Gr

elp

With some nouns that end in -o, you can add

either -s or -es to form the plural.

Singular Plural Plural

a mango mangoes mangos
a mosquito mosquitoes mosquitos
a zero zeroes zeros
a buffalo buffaloes buffalos

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 Some plural nouns don’t follow the -s rule. They don’t end in
-s, -es, -ies or -ves. Instead, the word changes form.

mouse mice

goose
geese

Word File
Singular Plural
child children
man men
ox oxen
tooth teeth
woman women
foot feet

you kn
id o
D
The plural of the mouse that you
w
?

use with your computer is either

mice or mouses.

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 Some plural nouns are the same as the singular noun.

sheep sheep

reindeer reindeer

fish

Word File
Singular Plural
bison bison
fish deer deer

you kn
id o
D
You can use fishes as the plural of
w
?

fish when you are talking about

different kinds of fish: all the fishes
of the Pacific Ocean.

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 Some nouns are always plural.

binoculars
goggles

Word File pliers

pants scissors
pajamas sneakers
shorts slippers
trousers stockings
sandals jeans

you kn
id o
D
Another word for spectacles
w
?

is glasses.
spectacles
m ar H
am
Gr

elp

You can make these plural nouns singular by

using a pair of:
a pair of binoculars
a pair of spectacles
a pair of goggles
a pair of jeans
a pair of shorts
a pair of pliers
a pair of shoes
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Exercise 1
Look at the words below. Do you know which ones
are singular and which are plural ? Put a checkmark
(✓) in the correct box.
Singular Plural
word
pencils
books
fan
hat
children
kites
people
crab
foxes

Exercise 2
Do you add -s or -es to these singular nouns to make
them plural? Write your answers on the lines.

Singular Plural Singular Plural

1 desk 6 basket ___________

2 class 7 peach ___________
3 comb 8 belt ___________
4 mug 9 taxi ___________
5 bus 10 box ___________

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 Exercise 3
Do you change -y to -ies, or just add -s to make
these singular nouns plural? Write your anwers.

Singular Plural Singular Plural

1 key 6 toy

2 city 7 baby

3 butterfly 8 party

4 monkey 9 chimney

5 fly 10 lady

Exercise 4
All these singular nouns end with -o. Add either -s or -es
as you write the plurals on the line.

Singular Plural Singular Plural

1 video 6 radio

2 piano 7 hippo

3 mango 8 zoo

4 kangaroo 9 zero

5 rhino 10 photo

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Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are words for groups of people,

animals or things.
These are nouns for groups of people.

a family

a crew

an orchestra Word File

Here are some more groups
of people:
an audience a gang
a band a group
a choir a team
a class
m ar H
am
Gr

elp

Many collective nouns can be used with a

singular or plural verb.
For example:
My family was happy to see me.
or
My family were happy to see me.
But the following collective nouns always take a plural verb:
cattle people the police

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Here are more collective nouns that are used for groups
of people, animals or things.

a brood of chickens

a band of musicians

Word File a school of fish

Here are some more
collective nouns:
a bunch of keys
a class of pupils
a collection of books
a deck of cards
a fleet of ships
a flock of sheep
a gaggle of geese
a gang of robbers a team of players
a herd of cattle
a litter of cubs
a pod of whales
a pack of wolves
a pride of lions a flight of steps
a set of stamps
a swarm of bees
a troupe of actors

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 Exercise
Farmer John had several different kinds of animals
on his farm. Write the correct collective noun for
each group of his animals.

Farmer John had:

a of geese

a of sheep

a of cattle

a of horses

One day a of coyotes tried to attack his animals.

Farmer John yelled and waved a pitchfork to frighten them
away.

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Masculine and Feminine Nouns

Masculine nouns are words for men and boys, and

male animals.
Feminine nouns are words for women and girls, and
female animals.

rooster

bride bridegroom

hen

lion
lioness

Word File
Masculine Feminine
boy girl
man woman
prince princess
steward stewardess
king queen
waiter waitress
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 Here are some more masculine and feminine nouns for
people.

Masculine Feminine

actor actress
brother sister
emperor empress
father mother
gentleman lady
grandfather grandmother
grandson granddaughter
headmaster headmistress
man woman
master mistress
nephew niece
prince princess
son daughter
steward stewardess
uncle aunt
wizard witch

you kn
id o Masculine nouns belong to the
D
w

masculine gender.
?

Feminine nouns belong to the

feminine gender.

38
 Here are some masculine and feminine nouns for male
and female animals.

Animal Male Female

chicken rooster hen

cattle bull cow
deer buck doe
donkey jack jenny
duck drake duck
fox fox vixen
goose gander goose
horse stallion mare
lion lion lioness
sheep ram ewe
tiger tiger tigress

you kn
id o
D
Nouns that end in -ess and -ress often belong
w
?

to the feminine gender. For example:

actress stewardess
lioness tigress
princess waitress

39
 Many nouns are used for both males and females.

dancers

doctors

scientists

Word File
Nouns like these are used for
both males and females:
accountants parents
artists managers
hairdressers designers pupils
engineers singers
lawyers teachers
m ar H
am
Gr

elp

We call these nouns common-gender nouns.

40
Words for things that are neither male nor female are
called neuter nouns.

leaves

bench

fire
mirror

waterfall
Word File
Here are some neuter nouns:
ball forest
building gymnasium
broom playground
cake rock
computer sky
card socks
floor wind
41
 Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct masculine or
feminine nouns.
Masculine Feminine
1 master
2 uncle
3 niece
4 lioness
5 tiger
6 empress
7 husband
8 son
9 mother
10 madam

Exercise 2
Fill in each blank with a suitable masculine or feminine
noun.

1 The host and the ____________ welcomed their guests.

2 The steward and the ____________ look after the
passengers on the plane.
3 My uncle and ________ lived in Nebraska.
4 The king and the _________ had two children, a boy
and a ________. The prince was eight and the
_____________ was five.
5 Ladies and ______________ , welcome to our party this
evening.

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 Exercise 3
Look at the words in the box. Write each word under
its correct heading.

children sun witch king

boy son father girl
mother queen file teacher
lamp doctor dancer wizard
ram rooster elf fish

Masculine Feminine Common Gender Neuter

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